| Friday 8 February Lorna Brown (Microsoft Research Cambridge) Title: New Genres for Interpersonal Communication Abstract: In the Socio-digital Systems Group at Microsoft Research, we are interested in exploring new genres of communication. It has been observed observed that people wish to use a mix of communication channels rather than one single channel. For example, although people could do all their communication with a friend through one channel, e.g. email, they choose to mix and match a number of different communication methods for different purposes: SMS, voice call, instant messaging, facebook. In this talk I will present a range of projects that have taken place in the Socio-digital systems group exploring other new ways in which people could communicate. These will include Homenote, a home-based messaging system, and Glancephone, a mobile phone that allows you to take a quick look at someone else through their phone camera. In particular, I will focus on the Shake2Talk project: a mobile phone which allows people to send and receive audio and tactile messages, created through simple gesture interactions. This seminar will take place in the InQbate Creativity Zone (Pevensey 3, 3C7) |
| Friday 22 February Andrew Manches (Learning Sciences Research Unit, Nottingham) Title: Exploring the potential to augment physical learning materials with digital technology to support numerical development. Abstract: Physical materials are commonly used to support numerical development in the early years. The potential to augment these materials with smaller and more sophisticated digital technology calls for a greater understanding of the learning mechanisms involved. The two experiments described explored the role of physical manipulation in this domain by using an experimental method comparing the use of pictorial and physical representations in solving addition and partitioning problems. The studies highlight the costs involved in translating to External Representations but show how actively manipulating a representation can allow children to identify more correct solutions for numerical problems supporting the recent Theory of Distributed Learning (Martin & Schwartz, 2005). The studies have helped inform an emerging framework for the design of hand held (‘tangible’) technology to support numerical development. This seminar will take place in the InQbate Creativity Zone (Pevensey 3, 3C7) |
| Friday 7 March Lizbeth Goodman (Smart Lab, UEL) This seminar will take place in the Interact Lab (Arundel 223) |